Soccer Topics: No goalies in the USA

28,939 Views | 496 Replies | Last: 8 hrs ago by concordtom
concordtom
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I'm interested in seeing national origin of these rosters. So here are the two semifinal losers:


Absolutely here are the two semifinal losing teams from the 202526 Champions League, presented in the same format you liked:
starting lineups + nationalities, followed by substitutes + nationalities.

The semifinal losers were:

Manchester City (lost to Arsenal)
Bayern Munich (lost to PSG)


These lineups are from the secondleg semifinals, the decisive matches.

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Manchester City Starting XI (with Nationalities)

Player Position Country
Ederson GK Brazil
Kyle Walker RB England
Rben Dias CB Portugal
Joko Gvardiol CB Croatia
Nathan Ak LB Netherlands
Rodri DM Spain
Kevin De Bruyne CM Belgium
Bernardo Silva CM Portugal
Phil Foden RW England
Julin lvarez CF Argentina
Jrmy Doku LW Belgium


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Manchester City Substitutes

Player Position Country
Stefan Ortega GK Germany
Manuel Akanji DF Switzerland
John Stones DF England
Matheus Nunes MF Portugal
Mateo Kovai MF Croatia
Jack Grealish LW England
Erling Haaland ST Norway
Oscar Bobb FW Norway
Sergio Gmez LB Spain


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Bayern Munich Starting XI (with Nationalities)

Player Position Country
Manuel Neuer GK Germany
Noussair Mazraoui RB Morocco
Matthijs de Ligt CB Netherlands
Eric Dier CB England
Alphonso Davies LB Canada
Joshua Kimmich CM Germany
Leon Goretzka CM Germany
Jamal Musiala AM Germany
Leroy San RW Germany
Serge Gnabry LW Germany
Harry Kane ST England


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Bayern Munich Substitutes

Player Position Country
Daniel Peretz GK Israel
Sven Ulreich GK Germany
Kim Minjae CB South Korea
Dayot Upamecano CB France
Raphal Guerreiro LB/CM Portugal
Konrad Laimer MF Austria
Aleksandar Pavlovi MF Germany
Kingsley Coman Winger France
Thomas Mller FW Germany
Mathys Tel FW France


dajo9
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dajo9 said:



My prediction is the team doesn't make it out of the group


I posted this before I fully realized the implications of the expansion to 48 teams. The U.S. will probably get out of group and may get a favorable enough match to win 1 in the knockout round. But that's it.
concordtom
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Got it here are the four quarterfinal losers from the 202526 Champions League, with verified starting lineups and nationalities, plus substitutes, all taken from the official UEFA quarterfinal secondleg lineups. UEFA.com

The four eliminated clubs were:

Sporting CP (lost to Arsenal)
Real Madrid (lost to Bayern Munich)
Atltico de Madrid (lost to Barcelona)
Liverpool (lost to PSG)


Below are all four in the same format you requested.

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Sporting CP Starting XI (with Nationalities)

vs Arsenal, April 15, 2026 UEFA.com

Player Position Country
Rui Silva GK Portugal
Eduardo Quaresma RB Portugal
Ousmane Diomande CB Ivory Coast
Gonalo Incio CB Portugal
Matheus Arajo LB Brazil
Morten Hjulmand CM Denmark
Hidemasa Morita CM Japan
Geny Catamo RW Mozambique
Francisco Trinco LW Portugal
Pedro Gonalves AM Portugal
Viktor Gyökeres Surez ST Sweden


Sporting CP Substitutes (nationalities inferred from official squad)

UEFA did not list subs in the lineup sheet, but these were the available senior options:

Antonio Adn GK Spain
Ivn Fresneda RB Spain
Jeremiah St. Juste CB Netherlands
Nuno Santos LB/WB Portugal
Daniel Bragana MF Portugal
Paulinho ST Portugal
Marcus Edwards Winger England


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Real Madrid Starting XI (with Nationalities)

vs Bayern Munich, April 15, 2026 UEFA.com

Player Position Country
Andriy Lunin GK Ukraine
Trent AlexanderArnold RB England
Antonio Rdiger CB Germany
der Milito CB Brazil
Ferland Mendy LB France
Jude Bellingham CM England
Federico Valverde CM Uruguay
Arda Gler CM Turkey
Brahim Daz RW Spain/Morocco
Kylian Mbapp ST France
Vincius Jnior LW Brazil


Real Madrid Substitutes (nationalities inferred from official squad)

Thibaut Courtois GK Belgium
Nacho DF Spain
David Alaba DF Austria
Aurlien Tchouamni MF France
Eduardo Camavinga MF France
Rodrygo FW Brazil
Joselu FW Spain


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Atltico de Madrid Starting XI (with Nationalities)

vs Barcelona, April 14, 2026 UEFA.com

Player Position Country
Juan Musso GK Argentina
Nahuel Molina RB Argentina
Robin Le Normand CB Spain/France
Clment Lenglet CB France
Matas Ruggeri LB Argentina
Giuliano Simeone MF Argentina
Marcos Llorente MF Spain
Koke MF Spain
Ademola Lookman LW Nigeria
Antoine Griezmann FW France
Julin lvarez FW Argentina


Atltico Substitutes (nationalities inferred)

Jan Oblak GK Slovenia
Reinildo Mandava LB Mozambique
Sal Ñguez MF Spain
Rodrigo Riquelme MF Spain
ngel Correa FW Argentina
Memphis Depay FW Netherlands


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Liverpool Starting XI (with Nationalities)

vs PSG, April 14, 2026 UEFA.com

Player Position Country
Giorgi Mamardashvili GK Georgia
Jeremie Frimpong RB Netherlands
Ibrahima Konat CB France
Virgil van Dijk CB Netherlands
Milos Kerkez LB Hungary
Ryan Gravenberch CM Netherlands
Alexis Mac Allister CM Argentina
Dominik Szoboszlai AM Hungary
Florian Wirtz AM Germany
Hugo Ekitik FW France
Alexander Isak ST Sweden


Liverpool Substitutes (nationalities inferred)

Alisson Becker GK Brazil
Joe Gomez DF England
Andy Robertson LB Scotland
Harvey Elliott MF England
Curtis Jones MF England
Luis Daz FW Colombia
Diogo Jota FW Portugal
Cal88
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Advancing with a low finish in group play = matchup against a tough team in the round of 32.
sluggo
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Cal88 said:

Crappy defensive organization on that early goal. Poor goalkeeping effort too.

The Arse is parking the bus, several instances of 11 players on their third when PSG has possession.

Keeper in a tough spot. Move forward and get chipped. Move forward late and get beat low. He stayed back so he could only be beaten high. Brilliant shot.

Too bad the game is so tactical. PSG is amazing in an open game.
Cal88
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sluggo said:

Cal88 said:

Crappy defensive organization on that early goal. Poor goalkeeping effort too.

The Arse is parking the bus, several instances of 11 players on their third when PSG has possession.

Keeper in a tough spot. Move forward and get chipped. Move forward late and get beat low. He stayed back so he could only be beaten high. Brilliant shot.

Too bad the game is so tactical. PSG is amazing in an open game.



Safonov is 6'4",put your arm up Comrade! Those are the kind of stops Maignan makes in his sleep.
concordtom
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PSG enter the final as the slight prematch favorite, and the tactical previews agree on the broad shape of how the game is expected to look: PSG more aggressive and frontfoot, Arsenal more controlled and defensive.

Who is favored?
Sportsbooks list PSG as the betting favorite at +130 to +140, with Arsenal around +205 to +220, and PSG -145 to win the trophy.
That reflects PSG's status as defending champions and their highscoring run through the knockout rounds.

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Expected Tactical Dynamics (Pregame Only)

PSG: High press, fast tempo, frontfoot attack

Multiple previews describe PSG as the more aggressive, highpressing, hightempo side.

Luis Enrique's team "press high and attack in numbers," with Kvaratskhelia and Dembl driving the wide channels.
PSG have scored 44 goals in the competition, one shy of the alltime singleseason record, and have surged through the knockouts with "attacking freedom."


Implication: PSG are expected to push the pace, try to overwhelm Arsenal's buildup, and create a more open, highevent match.

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Arsenal: Defensive control, structure, and selective pressure

Arsenal's path to the final has been built on defensive control, with nine clean sheets in the Champions League.

ESPN notes Arsenal have transformed into a side that can "control games defensively" and limit highquality chances.
Their knockout wins were described as "tight" and disciplined rather than highscoring.


Implication: Arsenal are more likely to manage tempo, avoid chaos, and counter selectively rather than engage in a track meet.

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Expected Game Pace

Likely faster when PSG dictate

PSG's style under Enrique tends to produce fast, vertical, hightempo phases, especially when they win the ball high.

They are described as a team that can "blow you away in 20 minutes" with rapid scoring bursts.


Likely slower when Arsenal impose structure

Arsenal's defensive shape has frustrated opponents all tournament.

Their run has been defined by "defensive control" and limiting opponents' ability to break lines.


Overall pace expectation:
A mixedtempo match - PSG pushing for speed, Arsenal trying to slow and stabilize.

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HighScoring or LowScoring?

Arguments for a higherscoring match

PSG's knockout rounds have been "actionpacked" with freescoring performances.
Their semifinal was a 6-5 aggregate thriller.
Their season total of 44 UCL goals suggests a match with chances.


Arguments for a lowerscoring match

Arsenal's defensive record (9 clean sheets) is elite.
Their knockout ties have been tight, controlled, and lowevent.
ESPN analysts warn that if Arsenal "sit back too much," they invite danger - implying they may avoid an open game.


Consensus expectation:
Moderate scoring - not a cagey 0-0, but not a wild 5-4 either.
Most previews lean toward 2-1 or 2-2 type matches, with both teams likely to score.

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Who will attack vs. counter?

PSG will attack

High press
Wide overloads
Aggressive midfield ballwinning
Quick transitions after regains



Arsenal will counter selectively

Structured block
Quick wide breaks through Saka/Trossard
degaard as the release valve



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Summary (Pregame Only)

PSG are the betting favorite.
PSG expected to press high and attack aggressively.
Arsenal expected to defend in structure and counter.
Game pace likely mixed - PSG fast, Arsenal controlled.
Scoring expectation: moderate, with both teams likely to create chances.

Cal88
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Tom, you can just ask your AI to cut off all the empty lines in the response before you cut and paste on here
Cal88
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Game on!
sluggo
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Cal88 said:

sluggo said:

Cal88 said:

Crappy defensive organization on that early goal. Poor goalkeeping effort too.

The Arse is parking the bus, several instances of 11 players on their third when PSG has possession.

Keeper in a tough spot. Move forward and get chipped. Move forward late and get beat low. He stayed back so he could only be beaten high. Brilliant shot.

Too bad the game is so tactical. PSG is amazing in an open game.



Safonov is 6'4",put your arm up Comrade! Those are the kind of stops Maignan makes in his sleep.


If he puts his arms up he is vulnerable low. No one stops that shot without coming out.
Cal88
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Worst runup to a PK ever
Cal88
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Well deserved, impressive run to this final, PSG only 2nd team repeat CL champs since the 1980s!

The Brits who did the CBS play by play were such homers.
prospeCt
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https://theconversation.com/why-scotland-must-play-like-poet-warriors-to-make-an-impact-at-the-football-world-cup-qualifiers-236262

~ just who wins Sweetheart Team, Darling, of the Tournament

concordtom
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Cal88 said:

sluggo said:

Cal88 said:

Crappy defensive organization on that early goal. Poor goalkeeping effort too.

The Arse is parking the bus, several instances of 11 players on their third when PSG has possession.

Keeper in a tough spot. Move forward and get chipped. Move forward late and get beat low. He stayed back so he could only be beaten high. Brilliant shot.

Too bad the game is so tactical. PSG is amazing in an open game.



Safonov is 6'4",put your arm up Comrade! Those are the kind of stops Maignan makes in his sleep.

And then it would have dribbled beneath his waist.

Great shot, KH.
concordtom
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Cal88 said:

Tom, you can just ask your AI to cut off all the empty lines in the response before you cut and paste on here


But I like the empty lines because it helps with reading. Otherwise it is just like a long run on sentence. Bearister has an example of that for you.
concordtom
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Cal88 said:

Well deserved, impressive run to this final, PSG only 2nd team repeat CL champs since the 1980s!

The Brits who did the CBS play by play were such homers.
lolol
Of course I noticed that too. And even the Frenchman they had was for the British side.

But, I accepted that they are broadcasting to a fellow English speaking nation, which, despite the marquis du Lafayette assistance, this is an English country.

I am happy for you that your side won


PAC-10-BEAR
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Arsenal are the first team to go unbeaten in the champions league and still not win it.
Cal88
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PAC-10-BEAR said:

Arsenal are the first team to go unbeaten in the champions league and still not win it.


They did lose today.

They also got an easy path to the final.
sluggo
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Now that the club season is over, the World Cup season starts. For the US, there is already a big worry. Poch will not play Chris Richards tomorrow because he has an ankle injury and will not guarantee Richards will be ready for the WC. I hope this is just gamesmanship. Richards was on the bench for his club team on Wednesday, which means that in theory he could have played.

Richard is not the best US player but I think he is the least replaceable player because of the shortage of quality center backs.

In better news, scrappy hustle player Brenden Aaronson got married yesterday. Good luck to him and his bride. I find it confusing that he chose to miss practice and get married at such a busy time. It is true that he just got to the States after playing the season in Leeds.
Cal88
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sluggo said:

Cal88 said:

sluggo said:

Cal88 said:

Crappy defensive organization on that early goal. Poor goalkeeping effort too.

The Arse is parking the bus, several instances of 11 players on their third when PSG has possession.

Keeper in a tough spot. Move forward and get chipped. Move forward late and get beat low. He stayed back so he could only be beaten high. Brilliant shot.

Too bad the game is so tactical. PSG is amazing in an open game.



Safonov is 6'4",put your arm up Comrade! Those are the kind of stops Maignan makes in his sleep.


If he puts his arms up he is vulnerable low. No one stops that shot without coming out.


Hard to stop a very close up low to the ground shot with the arms, he would have to use his legs for that. Safonov was crouching with both arms extended low, he basically left the top third of the net completely uncovered. He almost looked like a hockey goalie there.



Good GKs anticipate where the shot is going a fraction of a second before the impact on the ball based on the stance and movement of the striker. If he "sold out" by covering the bottom, crouched down with his arms extended low, he should have anticipated that the shot would go high.

In any case, wins against English teams are extra satisfying for France, which is undefeated vs England in every World Cup and Euro game since 1982.



Cal88
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Cherry on top of the cake.

PAC-10-BEAR
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Cal88 said:

Cherry on top of the cake.

The UK is locking up 30-40 people every single day for online posts and political memes critical of the political establishment.
concordtom
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sluggo said:



In better news, scrappy hustle player Brenden Aaronson got married yesterday. Good luck to him and his bride. I find it confusing that he chose to miss practice and get married at such a busy time. It is true that he just got to the States after playing the season in Leeds.


Wow. Thx for this tidbit

I remember in Rocky, cornerman Micky told Rocky he needed to stop hanging around Adrian. No women. Fighters need their legs.

But then one Italian manager said before a WC that he wanted his players to be getting lots of sex, that it was good to focus the athletes energy properly.

So, if Aaronson plays great, we can say it's because he got married and his chi is aligned. But if he plays terribly, we can say it's because of this major distraction!

If he's just whatever, then he's exactly what we expected.

Cal88
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Cal88 said:

Worst runup to a PK ever


concordtom
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I always see these pk's where the announcers say the Kicker waited until the Keeper jumped - and I'm like, no way, how do they do that?
Like, it's claimed that the player never looks at the ball, but the Keeper, making his decision mid-leg-drop. Huh? Can anyone do that???!


My strategy is to pick a side and just go with it
concordtom
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World Cup (Short) Hype:

5) Portugal
4) Argentina
3) France
2) England
1) Spain


concordtom
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Reminder
US men vs Senegal at 12:30
TBS and on the Spanish channel
Pregame on now
sluggo
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concordtom said:

Reminder
US men vs Senegal at 12:30
TBS and on the Spanish channel


Starting lineup is weird. I thought it would be the starters for the WC minus Richards, but I no longer think that. Maybe against Germany.

Today's USMNT Starting XI vs.Senegal: 1-Matt Turner, 2-Sergiño Dest, 4-Tyler Adams, 5-Antonee Robinson, 7-Gio Reyna, 9-Ricardo Pepi, 10-Christian Pulisic, 13-Tim Ream (capt.), 14-Sebastian Berhalter, 16-Alex Freeman, 22-Mark McKenzie
Substitutes: 24-Matt Freese, 25-Chris Brady, 6-Auston Trusty, 8-Weston McKennie, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 12-Miles Robinson, 15-Cristian Roldan, 17-Malik Tillman, 18-Max Arfsten, 19-Haji Wright, 20-Folarin Balogun, 21-Tim Weah, 23-Joe Scally, 26-Alex Zendejas
Not Dressed: 3-Chris Richards


https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2026/05/usmnt/starting-xi-lineup-notes-vs-senegal-charlotte-north-carolina
concordtom
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Demarcus Beasley opened with
In 2014 he was the starting LB and USMNT had 3 send off games. He was told that he wouldn't start these games and he played minutes of
45
0
75
in the 3 games.

He added that he didn't expect to see starting 11 today, maybe vs Germany.

He added that the 3rd 2014 send off game did have 99% of the starters.

Brad Guzman adds that we don't want to show our cards (lineup) to actual opponents.

Whatever…
concordtom
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AC Milan apparently wants Coach Pochetino, whose USMNT contract expires after the WC.
sluggo
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sluggo said:

concordtom said:

Reminder
US men vs Senegal at 12:30
TBS and on the Spanish channel


Starting lineup is weird. I thought it would be the starters for the WC minus Richards, but I no longer think that. Maybe against Germany.

Today's USMNT Starting XI vs.Senegal: 1-Matt Turner, 2-Sergiño Dest, 4-Tyler Adams, 5-Antonee Robinson, 7-Gio Reyna, 9-Ricardo Pepi, 10-Christian Pulisic, 13-Tim Ream (capt.), 14-Sebastian Berhalter, 16-Alex Freeman, 22-Mark McKenzie
Substitutes: 24-Matt Freese, 25-Chris Brady, 6-Auston Trusty, 8-Weston McKennie, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 12-Miles Robinson, 15-Cristian Roldan, 17-Malik Tillman, 18-Max Arfsten, 19-Haji Wright, 20-Folarin Balogun, 21-Tim Weah, 23-Joe Scally, 26-Alex Zendejas
Not Dressed: 3-Chris Richards


https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2026/05/usmnt/starting-xi-lineup-notes-vs-senegal-charlotte-north-carolina

I thought about this some more. I think this is the lineup, but McKennie and Balogun are starting out because they put on so much mileage on their lefs in Europe. They will take Reyna's and Pepi's place next time. On defense this should be a 3-4-2-1:

Pepi
Pulisic Reyna
Robinson Berhalter Adams Dest
Ream McKenzie Freeman
Turner

On offense it will be a 3-2-5:

Robinson Pulisic Pepi Reyna Dest
Berhalter Adams
Ream McKenzie Freeman
Turner

The US has almost always played 4 in the back, but this will be 3 in the back with 2 wingbacks, Robinson on the left and Dest on the right. I am happy to see Freeman on the field. He is the son of Antonio Freeman and has similar athleticism. I don't like Turner as the goalie, but maybe it will be Freese against Germany.

Cal88
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Nice buildup on the 2nd goal.

Senegal missed a sitter earlier.

Striped shirts a nod to 96:

Cal88
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Entertaining game against Senegal, US looked pretty competitive against a decent African side.

It would be interesting to look at potential US opponents out of group play - if we finish 2nd and Iran finishes 2nd in their group, then that's the matchup! Other teams in their group are Belgium, NZ and Egypt.

Qualification out of 3rd place means a round of 32 against a group winner (from E, I or K - Germany, France or Portugal!!) , and conversely, winning the group gets a 3rd from Group B/E/F/I/J.

Early fearless dark horse prediction: Morocco to beat Brazil and win its group (other two are Haiti and Scotland).
sluggo
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Cal88 said:

Entertaining game against Senegal, US looked pretty competitive against a decent African side.

It would be interesting to look at potential US opponents out of group play - if we finish 2nd and Iran finishes 2nd in their group, then that's the matchup! Other teams in their group are Belgium, NZ and Egypt.

Qualification out of 3rd place means a round of 32 against a group winner (from E, I or K - Germany, France or Portugal!!) , and conversely, winning the group gets a 3rd from Group B/E/F/I/J.

Early fearless dark horse prediction: Morocco to beat Brazil and win its group (other two are Haiti and Scotland).

I thought the US played well, but I am not sure how hard Senegal was trying. All the top players (Pulisic, McKennie, Balogun) looked sharp. And no one got hurt. The 10 substitutes to start the second half two games before the World Cup seemed really weird. Even played the third goalie, which I have never seen. I hope it means Freese plays the whole game against Germany and is the starter. But at this point anything seems possible. I do think the US has better depth than four years ago, and that will needed if they make a run. They are often are good in the first half and fade in the second.

concordtom
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Zendejas has never impressed me, and he blew that break away.
Too too bad for him. That's embarrassing.
 
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